First Snowfall

This week has been unseasonably warm, and it lures one into complacency.
Last week, two days before Halloween, we woke up to our first snowfall. My heart had fallen the day before when I received my weather.com alert for "winter driving conditions".
The snow fell only on those of us in higher elevations, though, and when I drove into Burlington with snow still remaining on the roof of my car I was greeted as a novelty. My grandson's came to the window to see their grandmother's snow covered car, and a neighbor asked if she might "borrow" some to make snowballs.
It WAS lovely, but I admit I'd just as soon not see it again for a month or so.

Voting Day

I had expected to awake with anxiety this morning. It is a big day, and I'm one of those who has been following this election for two years.
I find instead an unusual warmth outside for a Vermont November, more typical of early October when summer resigns itself to fall. When I look west to the lake there is a haze over it, but it is haze mixed with soft sunlight and particularly beautiful. I hear that many parts of the country will be oddly warm today...in Chicago they are expecting the temperature to reach 70.
I voted on Friday. I like the sense of community that comes from going to the polls, but I was anxious that something might come up so I quelled my anxiety by voting on Halloween. I remember now that it was a Halloween over 40 years ago that I first moved to Vermont.
My pregnant California daughter wanted to vote on Saturday but the early voting line was so long, and the rain so intimidating, she will go to the polls on tired feet after a long day at work. She will not be the only tired person there, I am sure. Tired feet have changed this country before...remember Rosa Parks.
I am so impressed by the television pictures of the long lines at polling places across the country. My local daughter tells me of the enthusiasm and dedication to vote by absentee of the patients in the hospice where she works. Surely the massive interest in this election, the enormous numbers of people voting, are going to cause polling place problems in some locations.
What stuns me about this as I think about it this morning is that we as a nation have "earned the right" to be cynical, to be disengaged. For the 50 somethings of my generation we have gone through the Cold War, Vietnam, Watergate, and 2000...and yet we think, whatever our political stripes, it can and will be different. We have been disappointed by Clinton and by Bush, but we think it will be different, or at least we think it CAN be different. As a child I was deeply impressed by the photos in Life Magazine of the civil rights struggle and the voting rights struggle. I read Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer and watched women burn their bras.
While our society and our political process are full of imperfections, I am profoundly impressed this morning by the changes I have seen in my lifetime. And I am even more impressed by the "audacious hope" of the American people to stand in line, on tired feet, to exercise a right which has, in my lifetime, become almost universal in this country.

3 Kitchen Tips I Learned in Girl Scouts, Plus 1 More

The other day I was baking some cookies - yes, baking cookies, something I thought I'd put behind me years ago, but Becca and her boys are such an appreciative audience I've begun to do it again - when I realized I had carefully put aside the wrappers from the sticks of butter to use in greasing the cookie sheet. It occured to me that is a tip I'd learned as a Girl Scout so many years ago, in Winnetka, Illinois. I realized also that my habit of wiping the top of a can with a dishtowel before opening it also was something I'd learned in Girl Scouts. Jane Strong, who seemed to have an extended career as our girl scout leader, always wiped the top of a can before she opened it...we used to tease her she was afraid of "Jewel dust" - "Jewel" or the Jewel Tea Company being the name of the area supermarket chain. So, while we teased her about "Jewel dust", I've carried on that habit nearly 50 years.

From our day camping experiences to the Skokie Lagoons came the recipe for "Campfire Stew", or "Camper's Stew", or "Girl Scout Stew" which was a staple in our household when my girls were growing up, and which every so often I still have a hankering for today:
In a skillet, heat a little oil and then lightly saute a chopped onion. Add about a pound of ground beef and brown, then add a can of Campell's Vegetarian Vegetable soup (the "alphabet" soup). I'm pretty sure we served in on hamburger buns then, but now I prefer it on buttered egg noodles.
Now for a kitchen tip I learned recently, when you have brown sugar hardened in the box - it works for white sugar as well - pat a little water on the outside of the box and stick in the microwave for about 10 seconds. The moisture released breaks up the sugar clumps.

Market Transitions

Not all market changes are in the stock market, here in Vermont our farmers' markets are transitioning too. Last Saturday was the last day of the Shelburne Farmers' Market for this season. Since from June through October for two years I've spent my Saturdays between Shelburne Farm's stand and Palmer's Maple Syrup, I'll miss it this winter. I'll miss my weekly chocolate chip from Vermont Cookie Love (though they will be opening a shop in nearby North Ferrisburg around Thanksgiving), and my occasional jar of Sonia's Salsa (available also at the Shelburne Supermarket). Most of all I'll miss my regulars, who stop by every week or two to see what is new, and my out of state customers who are now returning on their vacations a second year.
This weekend I'll close out Richmond Farmers' Market's season, and make an appearence at the Middlebury Farmers' Market. Soon, I'll be starting the new Winter Farmers' Market seasons. At the Burlington Winter Farmers' Market I'll see Tasha and Annie from Shelburne Farms and Beth Whiting from Maple Wind Farms.
Here are a few of my favorite new items I'll be vending at farmers' markets this weekend, which are also available at http://afterall.etsy.com. I'm crazy about the little clothespin apron in vintage clothesline fabric. I've added a "farmers' market bib" and a great bunny print one. New aprons include some fabulous Asian and Provence prints.

Cedar Waxwings

I ran across a bush full of cedar waxwings in the yard today, and as usual, they stopped me in my tracks.
Not only are cedar waxwings lovely birds, worthy of a long look, but they bring back a visceral memory...of late winter seven years ago, standing outside the Vermont Respite House with my good friend Susan Hartman, as my mother lived one of her last days inside. That day the a tree was full of cedar waxwings and we paused at it a long, long time. It is a bittersweet memory, of life and of death, but as is in most things the message of life comes through the strongest.

Local Color

Last week found me telling out of state friends and family there was very little fall foliage apparent in the Champlain Valley. From here at the Mount Philo Inn on the west side of Mount Philo, looking west to Lake Champlain, the view was predominently of greens and yellows.
However, Friday I drove to Richmond for the Richmond Farmers' Market and to my surprise very quickly as I travelled east the colors became more intense, and by the time I got to Richmond the leaves were in full color. At home, seemingly overnight the reds appeared, especially in the sumac, and by Saturday and the last Shelburne Farmers' Market the colors, if not at peak, were very pleasing.
Here are some photos I took around the Inn over the weekend, as well as a couple new aprons in autumn colors which I have listed on my etsy shop.

Computer Meltdown

Oh, my dear, I haven't posted on this blog for over two months! I'm not a faithful blogger but that is ridiculous!!!
A good part of the problem, besides competing demands on my time and attention, was a computer meltdown several weeks ago. My faithful laptop got infected with a virus and after trying first aid on it myself it completely went down.
If you live in the greater Burlington, Vermont area the answer to this kind of problem is Pierre at Recycle North. He is terrific, a magician, in fact, particularly when it comes to older computers such as mine, which was daughter Liz's when she was an undergrad. I have a sentimental attachment to it, and while old it works just fine for me and I don't need anything fancier. Anyway, Pierre took it into intensive care and it lives to fight another day.
In the meantime, however, my email got backed up, and I have lots of photos etc. stored online that need to be downloaded once again, so I've been avoiding the computer as much as possible since it returned...just opening it up reminds me how much work I have to do. Well, I'll try to be more faithful.

Shelburne Farmers' Market & The Weather

David Palmer, the maple syrup man, says it never rains Saturday on the Shelburne Farmers' Market. That is pretty much true. This year, the first market was rainy, and some Saturdays the showers move in slightly behind market's end at 1pm, but so far, so good.
The Shelburne Farmers' Market is a great market. If you live in or visit Northwestern Vermont between now and mid-October, be sure to stop by...fresh veggies, flowers, breads, sweets, meals and snacks of all description, and great crafts. My stand is on the south side between Palmers' Maple and Shelburne Farms vegetables. If you are in Burlington on a Saturday and don't get south to Shelburne, get your veggies at Digger's Mirth's stand at the Burlington Farmer's Market.
On occasion when there is a vacancy you can find me, my aprons and things at the Richmond Farmers' Market Friday afternoons; and I'm trying to vend on Wednesday morning at the mid-week market in Middlebury at the Marbleworks, but so far the weather hasn't been too co-operative.
The weather...ugh! I can't remember a recent summer when it has rained this much...it even rains when the sun is shining! Sitting outside I've never seen as many slimy, snail and slug like critters as I've seen this summer. My cairn terrier is taking a lot of coaxing to get out the door, he doesn't like the rain and he isn't fond of getting his paws wet.
Anyway, the Shelburne Farmers' Market is Saturday on the parade grounds, right off of Route 7 just south of the light in Shelburne Village. 9AM to 1PM.

A Morning at the Farmers' Market

Saturday mornings find me at the Shelburne Farmers' Market in Shelburne, Vermont. This is my second year there, and I love this market (I'll post some pics later). What surprises me each week is what sells or doesn't sell, and I have to say my sales pattern seems a little odd. The market starts at 9AM, and I seldom sell anything before 10AM, sometimes 11AM. Busy time for me is 11:30 to 12:30 or closing at 1pm.
Here are some pics of what sold this week:

Also some headbands, which I never bother to photograph. The yo yo block was sold as a quilt for a doll bed!

So, more on life at the farmers' market another time.

The Bobbin, Burlington Vermont

Do you want to learn to sew (even just for one project) or need use of a sewing machine? If you live in the Greater Burlington area, The Bobbin is the place it's at. Here you can rent time at the sew bar or take classes or private instruction, or come in for group time with like minded crafters. Upcoming classes include sewing basics, t-shirt transformation, and a wonderful class by my wonderful daughter, designer Rebecca Mack, in how to alter clothing, particularly thrift shop finds.
The Bobbin is located in the Old North end, and you can visit them online at www.thebobbin.com

Easy Hummingbird Nectar

Few things lift my heart the way the sound of the hummingbirds coming to my feeder does. The feeder is located about 8 feet from the back door, and when I sit out on the stoop with my coffee the visit of a few hummingbirds is practically a sure thing.

I once suffered under the illusion that many people do that to attract hummingbirds one needed to purchase nectar mix. Not so! Mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water...I usually do 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups water. Heat on the stove until the sugar totally disolves, which will happen before the boiling point. Cool. Fill your feeder and store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator.

No, it isn't necessary to add food coloring, it is a myth that hummingbirds are attracted to the red in premade nectar mixes.

Easy Yo Yo Tutorial

As anyone visiting my blog can quickly see, I am not a faithful blogger...However, here is something I have been meaning to post for a while...

I started making yo yos a couple of years ago to give me some hand sewing while doing craft fairs and farmers' markets. When I went online to learn how to make them, I found many of the instructions quite complicated and overly complex. So would-be yo yo makers, forget looking for a compass left over from high school geometry, forget cutting a die from cardboard, finding a water soluble marker...all of that - go with the flow!

A typical yo yo begins with a circle of fabric 4" in diameter. You can make them smaller or larger, but a 4" circle gives you a yo yo approx. 2" in diameter, a traditional size and good for piecing or embellishment. I use fabric scraps from my abundant source, but in the depression it was popular to make yo yos from pieces of worn out clothing, which is a nice way to recycle. I recommend a cotton which is not too loosely woven, like quilting cotton. Home decor weight fabric is a little difficult to manage making yo yos, and very loosely woven fabrics tend to fall apart. Silk would also be nice to embellish with.
The plastic lid to a coffee can is 4", so I use those as my template. I mark the wrong side of the fabric with whatever is going to be easily visible for me...chalk on dark fabrics, but pencil or ball point pen on lighter color fabric. Even felt tip pens are fine, if your marking leaves a good deal of ink simply cut just inside the mark and you won't run the risk of ink later staining your yo yo.
Hold the circle of fabric toward you with the wrong side facing you, and turn over approx. 1/4 inch as you sew the edges with double thread. I find it easiest to draw up the yo yo if I begin with the knot on the inside and tie it off on the outside. The 1/4 inch hem needn't be too precise, just fold as you go and if it reaches 1/3 inch sometimes remember a yo yo is very forgiving.
When you have completed your long running stitch around the yo yo, stitch just past where you began and bring the needle and thread to the right side (I find a slightly long needle works well). At this point gather up your yo yo and flatten it with your fingers. Tie it off with a double knot as tightly as you can pull it.
If I am doing a block, I make up a small bag full of yo yos and then begin stitching them together...my habit is to sew four together, then two strips of four to make a strip of eight, then stitch two strips together, etc., until I have a block the size I want. Do what works for you. I also use single yo yos as embellishment on aprons and other work, or sew them onto hair bands as pigtail holders, or sew three onto a barrette or pin back. Larger yo yos, using a saucer as a template, make a nice size to embellish hats.
See some yo yos in action in my Etsy shop at http://afterall.etsy.com

A Visit to Shelburne Farms

I admit it, I've been waiting since my twin grandsons were born 15 months ago to take them for a visit to the Childen's Farmyard at nearby Shelburne Farms...We have been practicing "Old MacDonald" and animal sounds for weeks!
The day was glorious, the weather perfect, and no place is lovelier than Frederick Law Olmstead designed Shelburne Farms.
The Children's Farmyard was delightful, full of kids, school groups, parent, teachers, grandparents...and chickens! Chickens of every stripe and color...plus sheep, goats, pigs, cows, bunnies, donkeys, well, you name it.
Forget what you know about petting zoos, Shelburne Farms is perfect - clean, educational, environmentally sensitive, and so beautiful it can take your breath away! If you live in or travel to Vermont and have young children, it is a must. If you live in the Chittenden County area, check with your local library as they may have a day pass you can borrow for the day.

Sew Many Blessings

I've quite surprised myself with how much fabulous inventory I have right now. Just thought I'd show it off by posting a larger mini.

Raining Cats and Dogs!

Some of my new aprons feature fantastic prints of dogs and cats. I'm a real snob when it comes to cat and dog prints, and most I see are definitely ones I want to "pass by". These, however, I think are great. They feature pet characters we know and love.

Available on http://afterall.etsy.com/.

Feng Shui Quandry

I have no more than dabbled in feng shui, but I do find many of its principles attractive. Who wouldn't want to attract more prosperity, energy, and good fortune?
I receive Vicky White's e-newsletter "Life Design Strategies" (http://www.lifedesignstrategies.com/).
While perusing it the other day, I decided that the place for me to start was to rid myself of the old junk mail, old bills, papers saved, etc. around my desk and workspace. I began the project, but then this question began to haunt my mind....
"If I rid myself of old junk mail and old bills, does the chi unleashed bring me happiness and prosperity, or more junk mails and bills?"

Creative Luxury

Recently, I had the good fortune to "inherit" a lot of fabric from Peter's mother, who was moving. And I mean a LOT of fabric. Bags of it. She, like many of us who sew and craft, always had another project in mind, and to her detriment for a long time she had plenty of room to store her stash and over 80 years to collect it.

What this windfall has done for me is opened new doors. When I purchase fabric, I do so carefully and selectively, and the fabrics and designers I love are relatively expensive. I usually purchase and sew with a market or show in mind. Now, with all of this new fabric, even though most of it is not what I would have chosen, I am free to experiment, and luckily I have daughters who always love things that I make even if they aren't perfect, so I have a ready test market for new things I try.

Last week's experiment was a new style of half apron and the recipient was my daughter Becca. Her husband immediately pointed out that he does most of the cooking, so I'm starting one for him tomorrow, putting it together in a slightly different manner. Then one for Liz and Carl, to make use of some fabric scraps from making them napkins and placemats...though their patchwork may be different in size. While the patchwork on these aprons is relatively time intensive, it makes good use of my generous store of little pieces that are "too pretty to waste".

Mending Things

Mending things is a little art, a little science, and a lot about the inclination of the heart. It is the heart which determines what objects are worthy of the attention of repair, and what find their way to the recycling without a second look.
Generally I have a "mending pile" which serves sort of as "death row"...there clothing languishes for months, sometimes years, before its end is finally determined. Other things are carefully and lovingly mended much sooner on, they are my objects of affection.
I learned about mending from Grammy Danley. I never saw her sew anything new, though I'm not sure she didn't dabble in embroidery occasionally, but our long afternoons were often spent mending a variety of treasures. She mended socks...any sock. I still have her darning eggs. She mended silk hosiery, and in my mind's eye I still see a little piece of cardboard with various shades of skin colored silk threads wrapped around it, so that the proper match could be made. I have her enameled green Chinese jar in which she kept recovered buttons.
Her greatest skill was in mending china and porcelain. She had quite a collection, mainly blue and whites, the family heirlooms indistinguishable from orphans of the Christ Church, Winnetka rummage sale. These pretties were lovingly mended, not with museum quality restorations, but with a pretty good eye and a little ingenuity.
I still have a number of these pieces today. One doesn't notice the cracks and the glue first, but when you do you can practically hear an appraiser say out loud "Worthless because of the repair". There is one blue and white ginger jar that is particularly interesting... I inherited from my mother, who in turn inherited it from Grammy, and it was probably in my possession ten years before I noticed that part of the porcelain lip of the jar had broken off and long ago been replaced by a carefully crafted bit of putty.
Currently I have two pairs of blue jeans in their final stages of life...little holes and areas of wear have been patched by swatches of some of my favorite French Provincial fabrics, which only makes me more attached to the jeans. But the fabric is getting so threadbare there will be little patching on the horizon.
Yesterday I went to glue a trivet. Peter had accidentally sent it plunging from the kitchen counter a couple of weeks ago, and I told him not to worry as it was only a little thing I'd picked up on sale at TJ Maxx. He was greatly relieved it wasn't an heirloom. Yet, TJ Maxx or not, I couldn't quite put the broken pieces of this Provence knockoff in the trash, and yesterday looked for glue. All the superglue and all of the household cement in the house were as dry as a bone. I plugged in a hot melt glue gun, which had only limited success with one broken edge on the trivet. So I put the unrepaired pieces away, and found a little broken Portuguese ceramic on the way. This little dish has been mended a dozen times if it has been mended once, but I wouldn't in a million years discard it, even if pieces were missing. And yet I have no idea where I got it, or when.
It is nice when ordinary events bring back memories of loved ones departed, as this little TJ Maxx trivet brought back a flood of memories of my grandmother.

Tissue Paper Flowers - Easy Tutorial

I am almost embarrassed to call this a tutorial, as it is so easy and once you begin doing it is so familiar. So maybe it is just a "reminder".

I used about 2 sheets of gift wrapping tissue per flower. Lay one sheet on top of the other and cut the majority of the tissue into squares approximately 6 inches. Then cut squares approximately 3 inches, and lay those on top of the 6 inch squares.

Fold up stacked tissue like an accordian...I think my folds were probably around 3/4". When folded, find the approximate center and cut a "V" on both sides...if your scissors are dull and you can't quite get a "V" a cut in the tissue will do. This notch allows you to tie the flower a little better.

To tie up, use pipe cleaners, floral wire, craft wire, or, as I did, twist ties from loaves of bread. Then open out the "petals" on your flower one by one. Don't you feel like you are in first grade again? Puff, it goes from a pile of tissue paper to a carnation, rose or poppy.

You can decorate your flowers if you wish with a little glitter glue, or glue and glitter, or a bit of market adding color here or there on the edges. Once complete you have options: hotmelt glue on a backing, such as a pin backing or barrette (pin backs and you can put them on hats or curtains), or, if you don't have "stems", add a stem now with wire of some sort. If you have any green felt lying around you can do as I did and cut out "leaves", cut a little snip in them and put the "stem" through the leaves.

For a Mother's Day gift for my daughter I took a recycled parmesan cheese can, threaded the stems through the holes on the top, and wrapped fabric around the can. Presto! I think I'll make some for myself now, as the tulips and jonquils have passed and the lilacs aren't quite open outside.